Expert Advice for your Lawn & Garden TV Host of Today's Homeowner® and home expert for The Weather ChannelKitchens and Baths, Repairs and Installation, Interior Published 10/27/2006 by Danny Lipford
If you thought you had to spend $20,000 and up on a brand new kitchen think again. We have a simple, three-step plan that will take ten years off your kitchen without breaking your bank. Whether you are planning to stay in your home or are trying to sell it, a “kitchen facelift” is one of the best investments you can make in your home.
The three steps to give your kitchen a brand new look and feel for a fraction of the cost are:
As with any home improvement project, be sure to do your homework before beginning. Choosing the right colors, styles and materials for your home and your lifestyle will help ensure successful results. Most of this project is do-it-yourself friendly and can probably accomplished fairly easily over a few weekends.
There are two ways to get great looking cabinets without completely replacing them. (Interested in completely replacing them? Read How To Get The Most Kitchen And Bath Cabinets For Your Money.) One is simply ordering replacement doors, which can completely change the look of cabinets and still provide a tremendous savings. An even more affordable choice, however, would be to simply refinish the existing doors.
Start by lightly sanding down wooden doors, touch up existing stain (try to find the best possible match) and then apply several coats of varnish. You will be amazed at the way your cabinet doors come back to life. If you prefer the painted look or are starting with a painted surface, simply use a liquid deglosser or sander to achieve a flat surface, apply two coats of primer and then several coats of high quality top coat. Again, you will surprise yourself at the ease with which your cabinets can be transformed. If you do paint your cabinets, try your hand at a process currently growing in popularity called “glazing”. It is very simple and involves taking a can of clear finish and having a tint added to it. The glaze is then applied sparingly (brush-on/brush-off) to the newly painted cabinet door offering a unique finish.
For a finishing touch, be sure to find some interesting new hardware for your doors and you are on your way to beautiful new looking kitchen.
Hint: Be sure to take your old hardware with you when you buy new hardware in order to match up the existing holes.
While you are waiting for the paint to dry on your cabinet doors, get ready for the next step by choosing a new kitchen counter. Today, there are many choices in countertop materials and prices can vary widely from affordable to high end. Below are some descriptions of the choices available:
Still the most common counter surface in homes today, laminate countertops are durable, attractive and an affordable choice for many homeowners. The countertop starts with a particleboard to which your choice is applied. There are countless colors and patterns to choose from and almost any style of home can be complemented by an attractive new laminate countertop. Be sure to ask your distributor for suggestions when it comes to finding a contractor to install the countertop, or better still, call your local Home Builders Association.
Prices range from $15 - $25 per square foot installed.
Solid surface countertops boast performance, style and function. They are as durable as they are beautiful and allow you to create the look and design you’ve always wanted. Easy to maintain and repair countertops made from solid surfaces such as Wilsonart’s Gibraltar and Earthstone are available in a wide array of colors and stone-like patterns.
Solid colors and smaller patterns are less expensive. Pricing depends on local market and design complexity, i.e., more complex and radius edges, cove backsplashes,etc.; hence the broad price range.
Prices range from $40 - $60 per square foot installed.
Engineered stone is a fairly new choice in countertops offering a blend of 90% quartz and 10% resin. Silestone is one popular new type of engineered stone that offers the natural beauty of granite and is also almost completely resistant to staining. Silestone is also less likely to break than granite as it is slightly more pliable and can be fabricated with less thickness than granite.
Prices range from $60 - $70 installed
Simply put - there is nothing you can put in your kitchen that quite looks, feels or performs like granite. It is the more resistant to heat and scratching than any other material and offers the beautiful, natural look of stone that is unparalleled. he good news is that, while previously thought of as the “top of the line” and most expensive choice, granite has become relatively affordable due to improvements in fabricating technology and as many fabricators now offer services over the Internet, a beautiful granite countertop that will last a lifetime is just a click away.
Prices range from $40 - $60 installed
One of the fastest growing trends in kitchen countertops today is concrete. Providing a warm, natural look, concrete fits well with the increased popularity of more natural materials like wood, stone and brick. The beauty of this material is also, to some extent it’s drawback. Over the life of a concrete surface it will evolve, building character as it ages. A great benefit of concrete is its versatility in terms of shape and design. Features including integrated sinks and the ability to mix colors and ingredients make concrete the high-end almost designer choice of more and more homeowners every year.
Prices range from $50 - $80 installed.
The final and possibly easiest step is changing your kitchen faucet. Besides providing the finishing touch to your kitchen facelift, gleaming new taps with interesting features may even have your kids fighting to do the dishes. Make sure you choose a faucet style that matches your overall style in your kitchen.
We hope we have provided you with some ideas and that you will plan to embark on this project in the near future. Be sure to drop us a line and let us know how it goes.
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May 20th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
HELP!!!!!
My kitchen cabinets were not installed level and the doors are crooked so they don’t close properly due to the cabinets not being level. There basic in stock cabinets so when we tried to level the doors it just didn’t work due to the inside cabinet being particle board. Granite tops were installed on top of the unleveled cabinets. If we pull the cabinets out we will end up creacking the granite tops. we’ve lived with them for 5 years and I’m going CRAZYYYY looking at them everyday.
Is there anything we can do to level the cabinets/doors without cracking the granite???
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Unbalanced in Huntington Beach.
Allen Says:May 22nd, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Ouch..that’s a tough one, Lori. If the cabinets are crooked, it’s hard to remedy the situation, but here’s an old cabinetmaker’s trick I used to do. Take a chisel or a thick screwdriver, open one of the crooked doors and place the metal part of the chisel behind the hinge. Gently close the door, sandwiching the chisel blade. What you’re doing is slightly bending the hinge. Don’t overdo it, but it many cases, this will compensate for the crooked cabinets and force the door to appear straight! Of course, this only works if the hinges are not the European hidden style. Hope this helps!
May 31st, 2007 at 9:13 pm
I’ve have just bought a most horrific 80’s unit with green laminex bench tops. can there be laminexed over or do you need to remove it first. Is this a job for the first time beginer?
July 25th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
In the article, Give Your Kitchen a Facelift. Step 1 suggests revitalizing your old kitchen cabinets. How do you revitalize old FORMICA kitchen cabinets?
Danny Lipford Says:August 18th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
There is not much you can do with laminate cabinets except change the doors. They can’t be painted.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
I have to disagree a bit with that statement concerning laminate doors. I have painted formica countertops in a faux finish, one is still in my main bathroom and has been for two years..gets alot of use, alot of moisture, and is still holding up quite well. I sanded the gloss finish off the formica, a bit, then went for it. I had nothing to lose. i made sure to the spray an EXTERIOR clear high gloss sealer on the cured paint ( three coats) I don’t know if the same technique would work with cabinets. And I wouldnt want to ruin someones kitchen. But if you have to do something its worth a shot to do one door and see how it lasts before buying an entire kitchen? Perhaps theres other reasons I am not aware of as I am not an expert but am constantly redecorating my home and am a decorative painter. Sorry Danny I love your show and all of your ideas and don’t mean to step on any toes:)
Nicholas Roussos Says:August 29th, 2007 at 9:51 am
Hey Deb, I tried to paint some laminate cabinets in my laundry room with latex paint about 4 years ago. I was completely unsuccessful. Most of the paint just wiped off, and the rest I ended up cleaning off fairly easily with a cloth. That said, I didn’t do any sanding. I might have gotten decent results if I tried harder, but I only gave it a quick try.
October 30th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
I painted my laminate cabinets. I first applied liquid sand to the cabinet, then applied a primer and then a coating of paint. They turned out very nice and are still holding up very well. (2 years later)
June 13th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I also painted my laminate cabinets and 5 years later they still look great! I sanded them, applied 2 coats of primer, and then 2 coast of semi-gloss paint. They look much better than they did.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:42 am
How can I replace old brass hinges on aristokraft cabinets that are 20 years old or can they be spray painted.